Dietary supplements and medications are well known for use in animal feed rations in the livestock and poultry industries. These supplements and medications may include vitamins, mineral, enzymes, hormones, antibiotics and others.
The manner in which these supplements are combined with a consumptive fluid carrier such as water is disclosed in a number of patents to include the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,889,443; 4,815,042; 4,733,971; 5,219,224; and 5,487,603. These references generally disclose automated systems that dispense discrete amounts of micro-ingredients, combine the micro-ingredients to create a slurry mixture, and then deliver the slurry mixture to a feed ration. These micro-ingredients are typically added to the animal feed rations using mixing or spraying methods.
For organizations that add pharmaceuticals to animal feed supplements, these organizations may be subject to the regulations of a government agency such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Such organizations may be inspected by FDA personal, and are subject to various reporting requirements. Therefore, it is imperative that equipment used in the processes of making animal feed rations be capable of accurately and precisely accounting for quantities of the micro-ingredients used.
One method for measuring the amount of a micro-ingredient to be used in a designated ration is use of one or more weigh scales that weigh the amount of each micro-ingredient delivered to the ration. The weight measurement may be achieved in various methods such as measurement of loss in weight or measurement of gain in weight. Loss in weight refers to measuring the weigh loss of a particular bin that has dispensed the micro-ingredient, the loss in weight corresponding to the amount of the micro-ingredient dispensed from the bin. Gain in weight refers to measuring the amount of a micro-ingredient delivered to a receiving container, the increase in weight corresponding to the amount of the micro-ingredient delivered to the receiving container. Another method of measuring the amount of a micro-ingredient that has been dispensed is measurement by volume. It is known that certain delivery mechanisms such as an auger have the capability to accurately and precisely dispense a known quantity of a micro-ingredient over a period of time. Thus, measurement of a delivered micro-ingredient can be determined on a volumetric basis wherein an amount delivered is determined by the length of time that the delivery mechanism is activated. Volume measurement is particularly useful with respect to measurement of liquid micro-ingredients.
Despite the accuracy and precision of the machines that deliver the micro-ingredients, and despite the improved computer processing equipment that may be used to calculate required amounts and to record deliveries to designated feed batches, errors can still be made in delivering the micro-ingredients to the designated feed ration. One type of error that can occur despite the above-mentioned improvements is the simple failure to load the designated storage bin with the correct micro-ingredient. For each micro-ingredient used in an automated micro-ingredient delivery system, each bin must be pre-designated to hold a specified micro-ingredient so that the correct types and amounts of the micro-ingredient are dispensed once the automated delivery sequence begins. The micro-ingredient bins and the delivery devices connected thereto, such as augers and pumps, do not have the inherent capability to distinguish between loaded micro-ingredients. Rather, the bins are simply sized to hold a designated quantity of whatever ingredient is loaded therein, and the delivery devices operate to dispense designated amounts of the ingredients from the bins as instructed by commands generated from a controller. The commands may be based on a timed delivery, or based on loss in weight or gain in weight methods.
Another error that can be created in the preparation of a feed ration having micro-ingredients is the loss of such ingredients as airborne particles that are not delivered to and/or do not remain within the receptacle used to mix the ingredients. Particularly for pharmaceuticals that may have a very small volume as compared to the other micro-ingredients used, loss of pharmaceuticals as airborne particles may result in an improper micro-ingredient mixture. For example, when the micro-ingredients are initially delivered to the mixing receptacle and during mixing, a measurable amount of a pharmaceutical can potentially become airborne and subsequently lost. If the pharmaceutical is dropped from a bin or container into the mixing receptacle, a certain portion of the pharmaceutical may become airborne particles. Further, a pharmaceutical delivered to a mixing receptacle as one of the last ingredients will initially reside on top of the micro-ingredient mixture, and some of the pharmaceutical can become airborne particles in an uncovered receptacle subject to a moving airstream.
One object of the invention is to minimize loss of micro-ingredients that may be prone to becoming airborne particles.
Another object of the invention is to provide a micro-ingredient preparation system and method wherein inadvertent errors can be minimized by use of slide gate mechanisms that control access to a mixing tank used to mix micro-ingredients. A controller of the system determines operation of the slide gates. An appropriate remedial action can be specified by the controller in response to a particular alarm condition or system malfunction with respect to ingredients that are to be added to the mixing tank for designated micro-ingredient mixtures.
In all of the foregoing objects, a micro-ingredient delivery system and method is provided that still provides an accurate and precise means of delivering the micro-ingredients, yet the system is made even more reliable by preventing potential loss of micro-ingredients and preventing improper micro-ingredient mixtures.